by Sarah Biglow
“Don’t be silly.”
Erika allowed Michelle to drag her through the kitchen, dining room, living room with plasma TV, and up to the second floor. She heard Dane and Andrew downstairs discussing sports or HD channels. Typical guy talk.
“So this is Peter’s room,” Michelle said and opened the door to a spacious room with pale blue wallpaper and airy beige curtains. A large crib sat against the far wall, and a matching changing table and dresser lined the wall opposite the window.
“It’s beautiful,” Erika said, and breath caught in her throat.
“We’ve got a stroller down in the garage and a baby seat in my car,” Michelle said and ran a hand over the blanket lining the crib.
“He’s going to be so happy here,” Erika said, willing the tears not to fall. Too late.
“We sure hope so,” Michelle said and wrapped her arms around Erika’s shoulders.
“Thank you for doing this. You have no idea how much it means to me,” Erika whispered.
They stood there in the nursery, crying into each other’s arms for a solid five minutes before the guys appeared.
“We should head out if we’re going to make the appointment on time,” Dane said.
“Way to break up a girls-only moment,” Erika said with a watery smile but untangled herself from Michelle and followed the guys back to the driveway.
They headed back to the city and parked on the street.
“It shouldn’t take too long. The car should be okay,” Erika said, leading them into the lobby.
The security guard at the front desk flagged them over.
“Hi,” Erika said. “They’re coming up with me for a minute. They’re friends.”
“That’s fine. Just wanted to let you know Bryce is here looking for Renee.”
“She’s at work.”
“I don’t want to bother you, but could you tell him that?”
Erika grimaced but nodded. “Where is he?”
“Waiting upstairs, I think. I tried to tell him to wait while I got in touch with one of you, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“Okay. I’ll deal with it.”
She led her guests to the elevator.
“Who is Bryce?” Andrew asked.
“My roommate’s ex-boyfriend. He’s kind of a jerk.”
“You want me to handle it for you?” Dane offered.
“Please.”
They stepped into the elevator and ascended. Erika, Michelle, and Andrew hung back as Erika handed Dane her key. Bryce was pacing in front of the door.
“He looks a little…sketchy,” Michelle whispered.
“He left Renee when she was like three months pregnant. He showed up last week, wanting back in her life. Real charmer.”
Erika listened as Dane confronted Bryce. She only heard snippets of their conversation. Bryce demanded to know where Renee was. Dane said work and she’d be back later. Bryce’s voice carried out into the hall.
“I have to see her.”
“Well, you’ll have to come back later,” Dane said.
Erika took a deep breath and stepped a little closer. “She said she wanted to call you last week but didn’t have any way to get in touch with you. So um…if you leave your cell number, she’ll call you.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I’ll tell her. I promise.”
Bryce seemed to calm down a little and rooted through his pockets. He pulled out a wadded-up receipt, scribbled his number down, and handed it over.
“She’ll call,” Erika said again as Bryce headed for the elevator.
Once the elevator dinged, Erika led her guests into the apartment. She threw her coat on the hook by the door and flicked on the light in the kitchen.
“Want the tour?”
“Sure,” Andrew answered.
She led them quickly through the kitchen, living room, and her bedroom. They stopped for a minute to peer into Renee’s room.
“She’s having a little girl in April,” Erika explained.
“So you’ll have a chance to help raise a baby anyway,” Andrew said.
“Yeah. I guess.”
Erika stopped back in her room, searched through the bottom drawer of her dresser, and pulled out all of her doctor bills. Michelle and Andrew were in the living room.
“Where’d Dane go?” she asked.
“He had to take a phone call.”
“Oh. Here are the bills.”
“So, I’m assuming he’s more than a friend?” Michelle asked.
“Yeah. He’s my boyfriend. At least, I think he is. It’s complicated. There’s this other guy…Nate. We kissed a couple of times, but he’s on this mission trip on the other side of the world. But Dane’s been really good about all of this.”
“Is he the baby’s father?”
“No. I don’t know who the father is. Dane and I weren’t together before. I mean, we dated in college, but we’d been broken up for a while.”
“Oh. Well, it’s good that you’re back together. Major life changes often have that effect on people.”
“I had no clue that would happen. But Nate sort of challenged me to give him a second chance.”
“The one who kissed you?”
“Well, I kissed him, really. And then he fled the country. He’s sort of my unofficial AA sponsor, so I don’t think we’re supposed to be more than just friends.”
“Still, he sounds like a good friend,” Michelle said.
“Yeah. He’s cool. Been great with the alcohol thing. You’re really okay with taking a baby with health problems?”
“We believe every child deserves a loving home,” Andrew answered.
“He’s going to have great parents,” Erika said.
An hour and a half later, Erika laid on the exam table, waiting for her doctor to arrive. Dane stood on one side, Andrew and Michelle on the other. Erika craned her neck when the door opened.
“We’ve got a full house today,” the doctor said.
“This is Michelle and Andrew. They’re adopting the baby,” Erika said.
“Well, it’s great to meet you.”
“We’re excited to be here. We’ve seen the earlier ultrasounds, but this is a new experience,” Andrew said.
“Well, let’s get down to it. How’ve you been feeling?” he asked Erika.
“I’m okay. He’s kicking more. That’s good, right?”
“Fetal movement is a good thing. Definitely.”
“He kicked really hard today, and I was kind of winded.”
“That’s normal.” He turned on the ultrasound monitor and began the scan. He stopped so everyone could see Peter’s heartbeat, strong and steady. “He looks good. A little smaller than we generally like to see at this stage of development, but that’s most likely due to the FAS.”
“But he’s still going to be okay, right? I mean…as okay as he can be?” Erika asked.
“Yes. He’ll be as healthy as a baby with FAS can be. You have to go on bed rest for a few weeks near the end, but for now, you’re good.”
“Thank you. Oh, who do we talk to about billing? Michelle and Andrew are going to be paying for my appointments from now on.”
“Talk to Alana at the reception desk. She’ll get you all sorted out.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
He left, and Erika pulled on her clothes. They stopped by reception and got the billing figured out. Erika grinned the entire way back to the T stop. Everything was perfect. She was going to have wonderful people to raise her baby, and he was as healthy as he could be.
“We’ll see you later. We have some errands to run. Feel free to call us,” Michelle said, and they went their separate ways.
“Today was a good day,” Erika said as she and Dane walked through the turnstiles a little while later.
“I haven’t seen you this happy since Christmas,” he said and kissed her cheek.
They got back to the apartment, and Erika settled on the couch. Dane disappeared in the direction of the kitchen and retur
ned moments later with a bottle of water in each hand. She took the one he offered and unscrewed the cap.
“Can I ask you something?” he said.
“Hmm?” She sucked down a gulp of water.
“Are you going to be okay here once the baby is born?”
Erika turned to look at Dane. What was he getting at? She let the question sink in for a minute or two before answering. “Yeah. Why?”
“Well…think about it for a minute. You’re giving your baby up, but your roommate is going to have a baby living here. Don’t you think that might be a little hard for you?”
“I guess I didn’t think about it. It hasn’t happened yet…still seems far away.”
“I know it seems far away, but it’s not. You need to figure out if you’re going to be okay with this set up.”
“Okay.”
“And you know I’m here for you. If you need to talk about it.”
“I know. Right now, I just want to enjoy the fact that things don’t suck.”
29
February 10th
Shannon sat behind Christian in the bathroom while he vomited. She rubbed his back and patted his neck until he stopped convulsing.
“Do you feel better?” she asked, handing him a glass of water.
He swished it around in his mouth and then spat into the toilet. “A little bit.”
“I’m going to change your bed. You just stay here.”
Shannon got to her feet, a rather difficult feat considering her current size, and walked into her son’s bedroom. She quickly stripped Christian’s bed. She heard footsteps in the hallway, and Meghan stuck her head into the room.
“Mama, is Christian sick?”
“Yeah, Meg. You need to go downstairs, please. We don’t need you getting sick, too.”
“Can I stay home from school?”
“No.”
“I don’t want to go.”
Shannon balled up the sheets and started toward the bathroom.
“You’re going to school. You aren’t sick.”
Meghan coughed. “Yes I am.”
“Nice try. Go downstairs and eat breakfast. Tell Daddy to make you waffles. And take your brother with you.”
Meghan pouted but headed for the stairs. Shannon heard Tanner follow her down. Christian stood in front of the sink and brushed his teeth.
“I’ll be right back.”
Shannon headed down to the basement, tossed the sheets in the washer, and hit the power button. She stopped in the kitchen. Mike was sitting at the table with the newspaper. Meghan and Tanner stood next to him.
“Can you please make them some breakfast?” she asked.
Mike looked up, “What’s wrong?”
“Chris is sick. I would really appreciate it if you could make them breakfast and get them to school and daycare. You can drop Tanner off early. We’ll pay for it, but it’s just one day. I don’t want him around Christian.”
“Shannon, I have to go to work.”
“You can’t take a little time out of your day to help your children? I thought we were working on this,” Shannon said, trying to keep her tone even and calm.
Mike set the paper down and looked at Tanner and Meghan. “Can you guys go into the living room for a minute so Mommy and I can talk?”
“But I want waffles,” Meghan said.
“Just give us a minute, Meg,” Shannon said.
Reluctantly, Meghan dragged Tanner by the hand out of the kitchen. Shannon rested a hand on her stomach and took steady breaths.
“I am trying to communicate what I need from you, Mike. But it’s not going to work if you don’t at least try.”
“How sick is Chris?”
“He’s throwing up. I need to finish changing his sheets.”
“I guess I can take Meghan to school.”
“Thank you.”
He went back to his paper, and Shannon walked the three steps to the freezer to pull out frozen waffles. She had hoped he would have handled breakfast, too. Apparently that was too much to ask at this point. Ten minutes later, she set plates down on the table, and Tanner and Meghan reappeared.
“I’m going up to check on Christian. Put your plates in the sink when you’re done.”
Christian sat on the floor in his room, staring at his bare bed.
“Give me a minute to change the bed, sweetie,” she said.
Christian scooted out of the way to change his pajamas while she quickly put the fresh sheets and pillowcases on the bed. She kissed his forehead and tucked him in.
“You get some more sleep. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”
Shannon made her way downstairs to find Tanner and Meghan each placing their plates in the sink. She stepped up to the sink and ran the water over the plates and utensils.
“Do you think you’ll be able to pick them up this afternoon?” Mike asked from the table.
“I don’t feel comfortable leaving Chris home alone, even if it’s just for a half hour,” she answered.
Mike didn’t look pleased as he folded up the paper and stuck it in his briefcase. She watched him while he pulled on his suit jacket.
“He’s ten, Shannon. He’ll be asleep. He won’t even know you’re gone.”
“I’m not comfortable leaving him alone, Mike.”
“Fine. I guess I can pick them up this afternoon and bring them to the office.”
Shannon could see he wasn’t entirely pleased with the arrangement, but she wasn’t all that concerned. He would have to get used to taking the kids places once the baby was born.
A short while later, Mike and the kids left, and Shannon sat in front of the computer. She tried to get a little work done, but her thoughts kept drifting to Christian upstairs. After a few more fruitless minutes, she pushed away from the desk and headed up to check on him. Christian was fast asleep. She crept back downstairs and forced herself to get a little work done until about eleven o’clock.
“Mom?” Christian called.
“I’m on my way, Chris.”
He stood at the top of the stairs.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“I’m hungry.”
“Okay. Go back to bed. I’ll make you some broth.”
“I want crackers.”
“You need to keep down liquid before we move to crackers, hon.”
He grumbled as he turned around and headed back to his room. Shannon pulled out some chicken broth and heated it on the stove before she sidestepped up to his room. She balanced the tray in her arms and let Chris pull it down into his lap.
“Take small sips,” she said, sitting on the floor beside his bed.
“Thanks for staying with me, Mom,” he said.
“Of course, sweetie. Hopefully you’ll feel better tomorrow.”
“I’m done,” Christian said a short time later and pushed the half-empty bowl away.
“Okay. You just rest. Do you want me to bring up one of your video games?”
“No, thanks.”
“All right.”
Shannon used the edge of the bed to hoist herself to her feet and took the tray from Christian’s lap. She carried it to the stairs and was about to head down when she heard movement behind her. She had enough time to turn around to see Christian run into the bathroom. Shannon put the tray on the floor and rushed in behind him. He hugged the toilet bowl, and the broth spewed back up. She could see frustration etched around his eyes. She grabbed a washcloth, ran it under cold water, and rubbed his neck.
“I think the broth was a little too soon,” she said as he sat back.
“I hate being sick,” Christian said with a sniffle.
“I know you do. I’m going to call Daddy and tell him to pick up some Pepto-Bismol for you. That might help.”
She helped him back to bed and left the washcloth with him while she went to call Mike. She sat down at the computer and watched the screen wink out of focus. Not a good sign. She dialed Mike’s cell number and listened to it ring.
“I’m about to head into a meeting. Can I call you back?”
“I need you to pick up some Pepto-Bismol on your way home. Chris is still throwing up.”
“Can’t you run down to the store?”
“Just pick up the medicine and bring it home.”
Shannon hung up and watched the screen blur again. Her stomach churned. Definitely not a good sign. She raced as quickly as she could to the downstairs bathroom and cringed as her breakfast came up. Thankfully, it quickly moved to dry heaves. Perfect. Now I’ve got his bug. She flushed the toilet and headed upstairs to lie down.
The next thing she knew, the bed shifted beside her. She rolled over to see Meghan looking at her.
“Mama, you look sick.”
“I think I got Christian’s stomach bug. When did you get home?”
“Just now. It’s dinner time.”
“Did Daddy give Christian his medicine?”
“I don’t know.”
“Can you go ask him for me?”
“Okay.”
“Daddy,” Meghan shouted as she ran out of the room.
A minute later, Mike appeared. “You caught the bug?”
“I think so. What does the label say about taking Pepto-Bismol while you’re pregnant?”
“I don’t know.”
“Look, please.”
He scanned the pink bottle for an answer. “It says here it’s a class C drug and you should consult your doctor before taking it.”
“Can you get my phone from the dining room? I’ll call and ask.”
Twenty minutes later, Shannon hung up the phone and told Mike to pour her a dose.
“You’re sure the doctor said you can take it?”
“Yes. Does Chris look any better?”
“He seems to. I’ll make him some soup in a little while and see if he keeps it down this time.”
“All right. I’m going to stay up here.”
“I’ll make you some soup, too,” he offered.
She blinked in surprise. He seemed more agreeable, and he even offered to help with the kids. That was new.
“Thanks.”
Shannon managed to keep the soup down and went in around seven that evening to check on Christian. His soup bowl sat on the floor beside his bed, and he was curled up on his side with the blankets pulled up to his chin.
